Chapter 18

• Being made a slave by Alpha Matthew was the push that drove me from the only home I had ever known. My parents had been murdered by him, and I was left to live as an orphan. For years, I had thought of that place as my home. When I finally ran away, I believed I'd be free.
• Yet here I am, ankles bound to a bed frame, trapped again. My helplessness weighed down on me, reminding me of a harsh reality: I couldn't trust my mate, Lucas. I couldn't trust anyone.
• The room was large, luxurious even, but I felt like a prisoner in a birdcage, caged more than I ever had before. Lucas had tied me to this bed and disappeared for two days. Two long days. I was drowning in frustration and anger. I should have approached this differently, planned things better. But now, here I was, left to stew in my misery, wondering how things had spiraled so far out of control. What gave Lucas the right to chain me like this?